Spiritual Direction Formation Program

Training Spiritual Directors in the Vincentian way since 1986

Our ecumenical formation program deepens individuals' abilities to serve as spiritual companions and retreat leaders. Faithful to our Vincentian Ethos, we provide a special emphasis on being present to people who are economically poor, homeless, or in otherwise marginalized circumstances. Our program enriches both individuals seeking initial training in spiritual direction as well as experienced spiritual directors. Now in its 30th year, our formation program draws an international participation.

Program Goals

The Formation Program for Spiritual Directors is designed to meet the following needs of the spiritual director:

Support the continued spiritual growth of each participant

Establish an integrated framework for spiritual direction

Explore the meaning of contemplative action in a global community

Discover a deeper relationship with persons in poverty/on the margins

Discern one's call to this ministry

Grow in the art of spiritual direction

Program Strengths

Multicultural, ecumenical perspective

Service wiith people "on the margins"

Integration of faith and science

Personal spiritual development

Adult learning model

Supervised internship

Mutual Transformation

As we have discovered the mutual transformation that results from being in relationship with people in poverty, we make ourselves available to others who are open to the same privilege. In faithfulness to God's particular concern for the poor and abandoned, we are committed to providing spiritual direction and retreat opportunities for those who would otherwise not have access to these ministries. Not every spiritual director is called to accompany those who have been marginalized, but the tradition clearly reveals that the charism of spiritual direction is linked to a concern for the most abandoned. We provide the opportunity for participants to explore this reality.

Spirituality... Community... Work

We bring to this training program the richness of our daily experience in engaging others in the contemporary marketplace. We offer our understanding of work as a meaningful expression of the divine within each person. We provide a supportive community and network of relationships where individuals can explore the meaning of a spirituality of work. We encourage the development of a grounded, practical spirituality that embraces work, family, and community.